Kanye West's 'Donda' delayed after the campaign, Kim Kardashian divorce

Kanye West's 'Donda' delayed after the campaign, Kim Kardashian divorce

The first release date was scheduled for July 24, 2020, the same day Taylor Swift released her surprise album "Folklore." The two have been at odds since West memorably interrupted Swift during her acceptance speech for best female video at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.

DONDA coming this Friday pic.twitter.com/HGibF3PHYf

— ye (@kanyewest) July 21, 2020

West, 43, had planned to release his new album only days after a spate of strange tweets in July 2020, some of which he subsequently deleted. "Kim attempted to bring a doctor to lock me up," West said in one of the since-deleted tweets, implying that Kim Kardashian had sought to have him involuntarily institutionalized.

Kardashian responded by pleading for "compassion and understanding" and sharing a rare, highly personal letter about her spouse, revealing that he suffers from bipolar disorder. 

"I realize Kanye is a target of criticism since he is a public person whose actions can elicit strong feelings and opinions," Kardashian West wrote. "He is a talented but difficult guy who, in addition to the demands of being an artist and a black man, has to cope with the stress and isolation brought on by his bipolar condition. He has also endured the devastating death of his mother. Those close to Kanye know his heart and recognize that his words don't always match his intentions."

West's post-Kardashian tweets occurred a day after he made a meandering address at a presidential campaign event in South Carolina in June 2020. During the address, he sobbed, revealed intimate details about his family, and made an odd remark about abolitionist Harriet Tubman.

After almost seven years of marriage, Kardashian filed for divorce from the "Jesus is King" rapper in February.

With "Jesus Is King" and "Jesus Is Born," West made a major shift away from the songs that made him famous and toward Christian hip-hop.

"Jesus Is King," according to USA TODAY's Patrick Ryan, is "West's riskiest attempt yet."

"With chaste songs about God, heaven, and remaining on the straight and narrow," Ryan said, "he entirely abandons his controversial rhymes about fame, women, and mental health, and perhaps alienates longstanding followers." "The record implies a radically new path for the now-father of four, interpolating Bible texts and Christian songs and frequently accompanied by a church organ and choir."